Why tough talk on knife crime is not the answer / New Statesman, 17 July 2008
http://www.newstatesman.com/uk-politics/2008/07/knife-crime-prison-government
"The Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, deserves praise for making the case for restorative justice, yet it was badly done. There is solid evidence that forcing people to confront the consequences of their crimes is more effective in cutting reoffending than purely punitive measures. A study this month from Cambridge University shows that, under restorative justice, reconviction rates fall by as much as 27 per cent. For those who believe that anything but prison is a soft option, however, the alternatives must be convincing. It was incompetent of the Home Office to wait so long before making it clear that those using knives would not be marched to hospital to visit the victims of their violence. Smith's clarification eventually came, but the damage was done."